Combined ironing board and stepladder



Dec 4 1923.

AP. W085 COMBINED IRONING BOARD AND STEPLADDER Filed July 20 Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

f raiser mime PAUL woss. or CHICAGOQILLINIOIS.

Application filed July 20, .1922. Serial No. 576,337. I

To all Uh0772- it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lliinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Ironing Boards and Stepladders,of which the fol lowing is a specification. Y 1

The primary object of this invention is the production of a device of this character that is both simple of operation and inexpensive of manufacture and one wherein thedevice may bereadily folded up and stored in a convenient manner,

A further object of this invention is to so construct an article of this nature as to readily enable the same to be so formed as to function as an ironing board, and wherein the same may, by a few comparatively simple operations, be converted into the conventional type of stepladder.

With the above general objects in view the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my invention showing the device set up in position for use as an ironing board,

Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the same employed as astepladder,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the device as shown in Fig. 2, a portion of the same being broken away so as to disclose more clearly the locking elements for one of the pairs of supporting legs.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross sectional view upon the line 4.-1 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view upon the line 5-5 of the same figure, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more in particular to the several views there is shown an ironing board 1 of any preferred design, and provided with a pair of forward and rearward supporting legs 2 and 3. These supporting legs are formed from spaced side bars i and 5 and the bars forming the forward pair of the supporting legs are adapted to extend between the bars forming the rear pair of supporting legs as clearly shown in. Fig. 1,-

Woss, a citizen Adjacent the upper ends'of each pair of supporting legs and secured to the under side-of the board 1 is a cross bar 6 retained thereto by fastening means such as staples 7, and connecting the upper ends of the side bars, forming each pair of supporting legs, are rods 8 adapted for rotary movement within longitudinalbores through the crossbar 6. The side bars 1 and 5' forming the forward pair of supporting legs 2are provided at a suitable point thereon with semi circularcut-out portions 9 to permit the side bars to overlie the cross bar 6 when the device is in its folded position. Adjacent the lower free ends of the side bars forming the rear pair of supporting legs 3 there is provided a cross arm 10 for rigidly securing these side arms in spacedapart position, and secured in any desirable manner, and suitably spaced apart, are step member 11, positioned between the side arms, forming the forward pair of supporting legs, whereby the device may be used as a step ladder when the same is in a position as shown in Fig. 2.

A crossbar 12 is positioned between the side arms formin the rear pair of supporting legs 3, and hlngedly secured as at 13 to the upper face of this board is an arm mem ber 14 provided with an eye in its outer free end adapted to engage over the hooked end of a retainingmember 15, for rigidly maintaining the associated pair of supporting legs in their open position.

, As a means for preventing displacement of the forward pair of supporting-legs2. from the position as shown in Fig. 1 when it is desired to move the ironing board from one place to another without folding the same, the above mentioned cross plate12 is provided adjacent its opposite ends with,

hook-shaped pivoted bar members 16, these members adapted to securely lock the side bars of this pair of'supporting legs in an From the above description, it will be readily seen that when the device is in its completely folded position, the supporting legs may be extended into their crossed po-- sition as shown in Fig. l, at whichtime the pivoted arm member l'may be swung upward upon its hinge to engage the hook 15 carried by the board 1, and that the swing ing hook-shaped plate members 16 may be swung downwardly to engage the hooked endsof these plates beneath the adjacent faces of the side bars forming' the forward I pair of supporting'legs 2 and in which po'si tion the device will be substantiallyrigid so as to be used asan=iron'ing-board. Should,

however, one desire to employ my device as a st'epladder, the hooked-shaped members 16 are first sWu-ng'aw'ay from'the side bars oi the forward supporting legs; and the hook-- engaging plate 14 is removed fromits c'orresponding hook for permittig the rearpairof supporting legs to be foldedaipw'ardly upon the under surface of the board 1 as shown in 2, the device'may be then positioned" as shown in Fig. 2 atwh-ieh'timethe forward pair of supporting legs having the crosssteps thereon may be employedasaladder, these supporting legs being themselves sup ported by the ironing board 1.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention it is nevertheless .to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is: p

In an ironing board of thejtyp'e described, a board membery pairs of legs hinged at their upperends to the underside of'the board member 'andarra-nged'in' crossed relation when the ironing board-is set up, a cross bar carried by one pair o'f'legs adapted to be engaged by the-other pair of legs to? hold the'b'oard inset upposition," cooperat v ingimeans' carried by Z the crossbar andboard member for" rigidly supporting the latter, and membersp'ivotally 'carried by-the cross bar adapted to engage one pair of legs to prevent separation of the said pairsof le s; v s i V in testimony whereof I affix mysignature. PATTI WOSS'. 

